rules change

with the popularity of extreme couponing I have noticed rules
are changing on coupons.
I'll detail later.

Smiles

Cathy

coupon run

Yesterday we did a coupon run at a grocery store we dont usually shop in but I saw an ad that said they would double 10 coupons. It is any day of the week, with their coupon, but 10 coupons is 10 coupons if you plan it right.

So with about 30 coupons in hand, in case they didnt have items in stock, we set off to the store.

We bought 32 items and saved $64.. Hmmm ! Do people still think coupons dont work?

Quite the haul. And we saved so much money. I feel my vacation fund growing again.
By the way we just got back from a 2 week cruise to Hawaii with the savings my couponing has brought us.

I'd love to hear your stories. The only to get better at couponing is to hear from the other
couponers outthere.

Smiles

Cathy

to be noticed

Sunday we did a huge shop. Mostly because we have been on vacvation for 17 days and were out of
everything.

I got a little worried as the total kept going up and I was freaking out by how much the register
total was growing.

They asked if we had coupons. My favotire slogan by the way..haha ! And out came the
stack.
The cashier started waving them over the scanner and dollars began to drop. Ca ching !

We ended up saving over $64.00.. As my husband collected the reciept the couple behind
him in line said good job and gave him a thumbs up.

Ok, you know youve done well when other shoppers notice and honestly it was even better
because it was the guy said something. We impressed him.

I am lovingmy couponing..
Anybody have any stories to share. Thats how we all learn.

Smiles
Cathy

Finding coupons

In Addition to the Sunday's coupon sections there are many
places to find coupons.

Websites like wwwsmartsource.com and http://www.couponsuzy.com/ are great and
you can print coupons right then and there.

Other places to check are the actual website for the item you are looking for.
For example, if you are looking for crackers go to Nabisco.com.
Can guarantee there will be a coupon available but it doesn't hurt to check.

Check Facebook. And swap coupons with friends.

Don't buy stuff just to save money because if you don't use it then you
haven't saved any money.

Smiles and savings

Cathy

getting started

I am always asked how to get started with couponing so I'm going
to break it down, simply.

First step...start with a shopping list. Sounds basic but it is so necessary
to stay focused.

I not only put a shopping list together but even my list is organized.

It takes time before but it will help when you are at the store.

I put my list together by the layout of the store. Most stores have floor
plans and they will help you so much.

In addition, in the left column I put the sale price..I also add a C circled if I have a coupon and the quantity I will be purchasing.

This is my step one. I'd love to hear yours. Give it a try. :-)
Smiles and savings

Cathy

coupon cutback

We have cut back on our extreme couponing a bit.

Altohugh recently coupons have really sucked we have found a few good deals
and are stocked up for a while.

I just don't have the space for this so we are going to have to prioritze our
couponing based on space.

My cabinets are full and we have saved so much money.

I'm going to focus on cooking tips, making the most of your dollar for a while.

As always I love to hear from you.. Maybe a coupon swap ??

Smiles

Cathy

crappy coupons

The coupons have been really crappy lately.

We used to buy extra newspapers but haven't the past few weeks
because there is nothing in the inserts we use.

Hope companies start to take notice soon..If you want people to buy your
latest adgreatest new flavored item give us some incentive.

I am perfectly happy living in a rut and buying the same items I already enjoy.
Just saying !

Hope the coupons are better tomorrow....Anybody listening?

Smiles

Cathy
 

out of stock... AGAIN

Recently my frustration level hit an all time high.

We have one grocery store in this area who is infamous for putting out an add but rarely having the items in stock.

The store manager, whom I know well, blames it on corporate ordering low quantites...

We have lived here for 7 years and this has been an ongoing problem.

Here's a tip: Don't spend money on an expensive ad if you are not going to have the items...
I am not a buyer nor do I pay one on TV but this seems really dumb...

Spend the money to buy the items, stock the store properly and you know what people might stop laughing at you.

In the meanitme, I  will stick with my regular grocery store. They may be a little more epxensive in some cases but they have what I need in stock...and they are not yanking my chain...

Smiles

Cathy
  

tomato pie

Monday night I made a tomato pie.

It was pictured on the front cover of food network magazine.

I made some changes, of course.

I sued beautiful tomatoes from the farmers market, vidalia onions
and a store bought pie crust. Sorry I dont bake, period...

Also changed the cheese to what I had  at home.

Okay, bottom line.  It was great..We had leftovers for lunch
on Tuesday and I dont think the entire pie cost $5..Divided by
2 for 2 people and then divided by 2 for an additional meal and
this was a fabulous deal.

Would love to see summertime treats you make for your family.

Stay cool. It's a hot one out there

Smiles

Cathy

organize organize organize

I can't say that enough.

We just completed a kitchen remodel and as we put the kitchen
cabinets back together we realized our cabinets had become a black hole.

Things went in, got disorganized and when we cleaned things out we were
shocked how long ago some things had expired.

So with our new nifty organized cabinets we have a different layout of the
cabinets to avoid that ever happening again.

One shelf is for "about to expire" items..I think it will be a good system.


I'd love to hear anyone's ideas on how they stay organized.

I save alot with coupons so I can treat myself to vacations and now
a beautiful kitchen remodel.

Smiles

Cathy

We saved a bunch

Went to the grocery store on Sunday...

had alot of coupons but no double coupons honored at store.

Bill came to close to $100 and we paid $33

I think this coupon thing is working...Yippee !

coupon organizer

My coupon organizer arrived and I have been slowly setting it up.

It is going to take some time to set up but it will be so worth it in
the end.

We have a kitchen remodel project going on and all the workers are
enjoying my determination to get this project done.

The dogs are at the kennel so it is the perfect project to spread
all over the couch. haha !

We head to the grocery store today. It is double coupon day and
I thin kwe are going to save a ton of money. I'm so excited.

SMILES
Cathy

coupon day

Today is Sunday nad it is coupon day !

I actually look forward to getting the newspapers...

It'll take some time to clip the ones I want but it is so worth it.

I bought a coupon organizer so it should help me stay organized.

Ordered it online and havent recived it yet so I'll let you know how it is working for me.

newspapers

Sunday we decided to buy some additional Sunday newspapers.

I didnt get a chance to check the coupons before we left the
house so I wasnt sure what was in the paper, if anything.

I figured if there was nothing we could just read the newspapers
from different areas.
As it turned out it was a jackpot. Lots of coupons we use and lots we
can double.
That move will certainly pay off, literally.

Smiles

Cathy

another success story

One of our grocery stores has double coupons on Wednesdays. Limit is 5 (woohoo)

Anyway I asked Mark to stop by with a very thought out list and the items they had
on sale...

He saved $25 and we spent $29..

Now thats savings...

SMILES

Cathy

a big payoff $$$

Last Saturday on our weekly trip to the grocery store we saved almost $46.00.
Wow ! Wow ! Wow!

I guess this couponing thing is paying off.

couponing

Really enjoying my new couponing projects.

We don't really have double coupons out here
because we have very few grocery stores but it
is still fun to not pay full price for stuff.

Would love to hear your stories and accomplishments?

Smiles

Cathy

baked apples

Last night we made baked apples for dessert.

We don't usually make dessert but the apples looked so good in
the store we decided to get some.
I'm not much of a baker ( I prefer to cook the meal, not the dessert)
and that was the only thing I could think of doing with them.

They were great if I do say so myself...

Anybody have any simple apples recipes that don't invlolve dough?

SMILES

Cathy

grocery store run

Today I sent Mark to the grocery store for a mini coupon event.

Our stores don't double coupons very often and when they do they
are conveniently out of stock of many items. It tends to be a huge
waste of time.

I had a few coupons for a few items that were on sale and they actually
had them in stock.

He rocked this morning. Saving a ton of money. I was thrilled.

Anybody have any couponing stories to share?
 

SMILES

Cathy

extreme couponing

New show starts tonight on TLC called Extreme Couponing.

Looking forward to it. Maybe I can learn a few things.

I'm already a big couponer but I think these people have some info
that will help everybody.

check it out !!

SMILES

a cookie twist

The other day I made cookies. Not a big deal but just felt like
trying something new.

For Christmas I got a silicone mini cupcake pan.

I decided to put my oatmeal chocolate chip cookies into the pan and make
mini cupcake cookies. Oh, how cute they looked.

They popped out of the pan with ease and were wonderful. My husband who doesn't like
oatmeal cookies LOVED them.

If you have kids, or a husband, this will be a unique way of jazzing up a basic boring cookie

SMILES
Cathy



 

Calphalon

Here's a shout out to a wonderful company...Calphalon

Superior customer service but that doesn't really surprise me !

We replaced all of our plans about two years ago with Calphalons. Since then we bought just
about every pan they made. We even bought all new Calphalon utensils.
We both like to cook and wanted good quality cookware. And we babied it. Cleaned it
right and generally took care of it.
One pan that had a ridged bottom started to flake. It looked odd. We were just
going to replace it when I found their customer service info. I emailed them asking them
if what was happening to our pan was dangerous and what should we do.

They replied 24 hours later. Send it back. I paid for shipping but a few weeks later a brand new
pan arrived at our home. Wow I am so impressed.
In a world where customer service is hard to find Calphalon went above and beyond.

Not only do they make a superior product but provide top notch customer service as well.

I will be a fan for life after this experience. Maybe I'll cook something special !!


SMILES

Cathy

Easy Chicken recipe

We made this on Sunday from mostly leftovers. It was delicious and it cost
next to nothing......

Chicken Chili

Brown 4 boneless chicken breasts in skillet. Only brown them so they have more flavor in chili. They will cook in crock pot.
In crock pot add chicken (cut in 1 in cubes)
Add peppers ( we had a variety of red, yellow and orange mini sweet peppers)
add chopped onion
Leftover turkey broth( from when we made a turkey recently)

Cook for a few hours 4 or so
Add chopped jalapeno peppers ( usually we would use green chilis from can)
can of White beans (navy beans)
orzo pasta ( very small it adds thickness to chili)

cook another hour or so. You might have to drain some liquid. We start with alot of turkey broth
and end up draining some. Better to start with more than you need than to have adreid dish.


Serve in bowls. We both had a big bowl (plus all the nibling) plus it made 7 extra servings.
Remember I package all leftovers in identical containers, labeled, dated and how many servings.

The per person cost about $1.50 ea.

Now tell me I'm not frugal... By the way, had a container today for lunch. I think it was better the second time around.

SMILES

Cathy

irenew bracelet -a scam ?

Mark bought me an Irenew bracelet for me for my birthday.

He ordered it about 2 weeks prior to my birthday and paid the rather
hefty "priority" charges.
So most of us would think that "priority" would mean it would be shipped
quickly by UPS as their website promises HOWEVER priority for this company
means your name is put to the top of their list to process the order.

First they told Mark they were shut down for a week, then they said  
they had snow problems. Hmmm, maybe an email would have been nice?

4 weeks later it showed up. It was sent by USPS instead of UPS like their
website said. It cost about $2.00 to ship and we were charge $20.00.
Hmmm, can we all say RIPOFF.

The bracelet is a piece of crap. CRAP CRAP CRAP. Don't buy it.

Just saying.Don't waste you money.

Smiles-Cathy
    

are you serious?

This is a picture of a taco shell

right out of the box.

Anybody notice anything odd?

Like there is no opening. Ha?

I emailed this picture to the company and

they responded a day later.

Apologetic (I'm sure they were laughing)

Anyway they are sending me a coupon

for a free box.

Bottom line- Tell the company.

I'll bet I'm not the only one who got one of these. 

It is hilarious,except if you have kids and are taco shell short. 

Smiles-Cathy 

Attn: Couponers

Let's trade coupons...

If someone is looking for a coupon please post what you are looking
for..
maybe someone will know where to find one for example
Campbells soup coupon can be found at http://www.smartsource.com/.

Or we can email it each other.

Let's give it a try...

Smiles-Cathy

coupons

I probably learned the benefit of using coupons from my
Grandfather. He would buy papers in bulk on Sundays or collect
them from his neighbors and just cut coupons.

Now, I can't pay full price for anything. I have to have a coupon.

I asked around recently for sites my friends used and they were
the same ones I used so here is my list...

http://www.smartsource.com/
http://www.redplum.com/
http://www.coupons.com/
http://www.couponsuzy.com/

If you don't find a coupon go directly to the mfg website. For example
if you want a coupon for deoderant go to the mfg site.Sometimes you
have to register but it usually means they will send you additional coupons
from time to time.

Happy clipping.

Smiles-Cathy

Packers going to the superbowl

In case you don't know we live in Wisconsin so it was an exciting weekend.

Things got crazier when the Steelers won. My husband was raised in Pittsburgh.

I posted a picture (innocently) 0f a stuffed teddy bear on my business facebook
page and was greeted with ugly and nasty comments. I ended up deleting it
because it was so offensive to my customers.

I've never been  a bears fan, even when I lived in Chicago. These comments
by these bears fans went way over the edge. So to you, da bears fans with no class
I give you this.

Email me because I have a great recipe for CROW.

Grow up peeps it is only a football game. Your words were vulgar and not at all
appropiate.

Smiles-Cathy  

Our special chicken recipe

This is for our vidalia onion chicken recipe.

Every time I serve this people ask for the  recipe and I am so embarassed it is so
easy.

Spray glass baking pan with pam. Put boneless chicken breasts in dish. Cover with
Ken's lite Vidalia onion salad dressing.
Marinate in fridge for a few hours or overnight covered with plastic, never aulminum foil.

Bake at 375 for 30 minutes, depending on how large chicken is.

Spoon dressing over chicken and put under broiler for a few minutes so it can brown
and get a little creamy.
Serve..enjoy
This is low calorie and so simple. Easy to clean up. It's entirely up to you if you want to
share the real recipe but if you serve it to guests they will ask for the recipe.

Serve with a side dish, some bread and a glass of vino.

Smiles -Cathy

 

marinades

Always be on the lookout for sales on marinades, salad dressings, and sauces.

Stored properly they don't go bad. Look for coupons because they are always out there.

BBQ Sauces go on sale during the summer months and when you use a coupon they are
so inexpensive and in some cases free. Stock up.

Salad dressings are always on sale and coupons are plentiful for  these also.

I will share some coupon sites with you later.

This is my easy dinner tip and it'll look like you spent all day on it.

Mariante boneless chicken breasts, fish ( almost any kind) or pork chops in a glass baking pan about noon.
Cover it ( never aluminum foil) and let it sit til dinner in the fridge.

Preheat oven to 375 and cook for approx 30 minutes, depending on size of food.

You may want to turn on the broiler for the last few minutes to brown it a bit.
For appearances only.

I'll share my favorite dinner with you later. I serve this all the time for guests and
everybody asks for the recipe. It is so simple I almost want to make something up.

If you tried this process and want to share,,,please post a comment.

Smiles-Cathy

Organizing your freezer

Ok, so some would say I have a small case of OCD about being organized.

Today I am going to share with you our freezer we keep downstairs in the basement.

Because we cook in bulk, freezing things properly is extremely important or you just wasted your
time cooking it.

We purchased identical ziploc containers. All of them are the same size and shape so stacking
in the freezer is easier.

On top of each container is post it that has the item, qty and date. For example, Meatballs (1) Nov 4 ,2010.
That says it is meatballs for one and when it was packaged.

Mark travels alot and I can have homemade meatballs without creating more leftovers.

Upstairs in the kitchen we keep a chart ( that is an excel spreadsheet for easy changes) on our bulletin
board in the kitchen.
It reads oldest date first, item, qty. We keep this list for everything.  So when we find a sale on meat
we can label it and freeze it. Meats we usually repackage with the vacuum sealer.

Again everything is  labeled and added to the list.

It is a great system and we know exactly what we have in the freezer and try to use the oldest item first.

Try it, it will save you a ton of money.

Smiles-Cathy

Super yummy recipe

This recipe is for polenta. Polenta, if you are unsure of what it is, is basically ground corn meal.

In a crock pot put in 1 1/2 lbs of dried polenta. You can buy it in a bag in the organic section
of your market. Add 8 cups of water but have more ready.

Cook on low 8-10 hours...
Stir every 1-2 hours and add water as necessary. It should be the consistency of mashed potatoes.

Serve with butter or margerine. Top with grated cheese, if desired.

Makes approx 14 servings

This recipe is so inexpensive. We package the leftovers in identical containers, label it and freeze them.
It is mostly a side dish but for me is just plain old simple comfort food. My version of mac and cheese only
healthier.:-)

Hope you enjoy this. If you add something to it, I'd love to hear about it.

Smiles -Cathy

coffee time

So many of my friends got a Keurig coffee machine this year for Christmas.

There are so many different models but they all take a K Cup. Our machine is a few years old
so we have figured out where to get the K Cups.

Quick rule of thumb...If the store sells the machine, they also sell the K Cups.
for example Macy's. They want to sell the machine and probably don't care much about the
k cups but they have a great selection and their prices are even better.
Same thing for Kohl's ( this may be a Wisconsin store)

We also found that the small kitchen stores at outlet malls usually have a great selection
and because the stores are small they are constantly changing inventory so they discount them alot.

Another option is Amazon. Now their prices aren't the best but the selection is the best... I'm always
discovering new flavors I want to try. They also have free shipping on alot of orders so for me
sometimes it is best to have it delivered to my door for free and get that new wonderful flavor without
driving all over.

By the way, we live in a small town. My nearest Macy's is 40 minutes each way. Andsince I don't drive
this could be a hassle. Amazon works for me when I can get free shipping and a sale.

If you got one of these machines for Christmas, Enjoy ! We can share a virtual cup of coffee, tea or hot cocoa.

Smiles-Cathy

Welcome

 Welcome to my new blog !!

I can't wait to share some tips with you on how I save money and stretch a dollar so far.

I won't pay full price for anything when I know I can get it for less.

You will always find  a coupon in my hand.

I am the queen of leftovers and literally can make a gourmet meal out of the them.

Please share your ideas with me. In this economy we need to help each other.

Smiles -Cathy :-)